


Change comes when you least expect it.

by Vailet_Cross



Category: Bleach
Genre: Enemies to Lovers, Family, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Kissing, M/M, Shounen-ai, Yaoi, the yaoi is in the last chapter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-03
Updated: 2019-03-20
Packaged: 2019-10-03 16:49:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17287826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vailet_Cross/pseuds/Vailet_Cross
Summary: Fighting and eventually destroying Ichigo. That's all he ever wanted. But now, he's not so sure. Two human girls is all it took to shake his foundations and make him falter. He suddenly realizes there's something else he wants. More than Ichigo's demise. More than destruction. More than being a king of Hueco Mundo. And for that he's willing to change. But will he get a second chance or are his crimes too atrocious for him to be forgiven? He's ready to wage a war against Souls Society to win his right for a second chance. HIm agaist thousands or so he thought.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, everyone!! 
> 
> This is my first fic and I've been wondering if I should post it or not but after a friend read it and said they liked it I decided to give it a shot. I already have the first few chapters ready, so I'll be able to updated regulary (for now) and I think it won't be too long either so there's no danger of dropping it halfway. :P  
> I'm still new at this so please leave a comment telling me your opinions and suggestions.
> 
> Don't forget to leave kudos if you liked it and are ready for the next chapter! (〃￣ω￣〃ゞ
> 
> Enjoy!!! |(￣3￣)|

He launched towards the shinigami ready to strike, but something felt off. Grimmjow had faced him so many times, had watched and carefully analyzed his every move so he imidiately knew something was wrong. And at that very moment Ichigo swayed a little, his eyes lost focus and he dropped his katana low which left him wide open and vulnerable. Grimmjow was grateful he had fast reactions because if he hadn't redirected his attack elsewhere and had actually hit Ichigo directly he would most definitely be dead by now. Grimmjow looked at the boy with his usual smirk on his face and was ready to make a mocking comment about how weak Ichigo was and how he now owns him for saving his ass, when his smile faded away in an instant. Ichigo was looking rather unstable which wasn't unusual after a fight, but suddenly he lost ground and fell back. They were pretty high up in the sky on Ichigo's reques, because he didn't want one of them to accidentally hurt or even worse kill someone and he didn't want any unnecessary damage in his city too. Grimmjow of course had complied, because, after all, the boy was agreeing to spar with him so he was in enough of a good mood to go along with the shinigami's demands.

Ichigo was falling fast and Grimmjow knew that if the boy hit the ground he wouldn't walk away with just some bruises and broken bones. Without a second thought Grimmjow used his sonido and managed to catch Ichigo mere inches befor he hit the ground. Ichigo didn't make a move, neither did he said anything and after the arancar put him on the ground and flipped him over he understood why - the boy was unconscious. That was a first. True their fight had continued for quite awhile and they both exchanged a lot of heavy blows, but that shouldn't have been enough to put Ichigo in such a sorry state. Something was strange and Grimmjow decided to do a little examination on the shinigami. The first thing he checked was the reiatsu and it seemed a little exhausted but still stable and normal. So if there was nothing wrong with his spiritual pressure then there had to be something wrong with his body. First Grimmjow looked at his head. He was bleeding here and there but nothing too serious. Next was his upper body. Even if the fight was fierce the boy still had his clothes on, they were a little torn but were comparatively intact. Grimmjow began undoing the shihakushō to reveal the orangenettes perfectly toned body. Ichigo wasn't as muscular as the espada and was more on the fit side. If he had to compare the two of them, Ichigo was lean and Grimmjow was bulk. But still he had to admit the boy had one hell of an attractive body. Getting back to the problem at hand Grimmjow started to examine the body. There were mainly bruises and scratches all over his chest and there were some cuts of which only a few were a little deeper but they weren't bleeding enough to render the shinigami unconscious. Grimmjow was ready to call it quits and leave the boy there. He was going to wake up eventually and was old enough to look after his own arse. This was such a drag and Grimmjow didn't give enough fuck to care. He was surprised he even did that much already. Just as he was about ready to get up and leave he noticed a small puddle of blood growing bigger by the second. He hurriedly yanked the clothes further down and saw a deep wound to his left that was bleeding excessively. The wound appeared serious and now at a closer look Ichigo was looking pale, was sweating and was breathing unevenly. Was he the one who did it? Grimmjow was really excited and intent in their fight but he never meant to kill Ichigo, or even to hurt him too badly. Grimmjow was terrified. What was he supposed to do? Bring him to a hospital? How? They were both invisible to most humans and he doubted the doctors in the human world could help him at all. He remembered there was a captain from Soul Society that was rumored to be a great healer, but he didn't have time to travel in between worlds, not in Ichigo's current condition. Now what? Suddenly he remembered the annoying girl with the big chest that Aizen had an interest in. Ichigo had came to Hueco Mundo to save her claiming they were friends. If they were that close she should be living in the same town right? Grimmjow tried to concentrate and find her reiatsu. It was similar to reiraku also known as spirit ribbons. It was hard and Grimmjow was never good at this type of things but he just couldn't stand by and watch Ichigo die. He gave it his best shot and finaly he found it. He picked up Ichigo as gently as possible in bridal stile while pressing a cloth, he had torn from his own shihakushō, to the wound trying to reduce the bleeding as much as possible.

Using sonido Grimmjow was there in an instant. It was an average apartment building with a roll of doors. When Grimmjow was finaly standing infront of the right one he knocked so hard and fierce that it was a miracle the door didn't break. Standing and waiting for the door to open Grimmjow felt like an hour had passed. He was ready to kick the door down when he heard a voice from inside.

"Who is this?" Came a quiet female voice, but there was no fear in it.

"Open the door you bitch!!" Grimmjow yelled annoyed. "Unless you want your savior to die." He added knowing that would instigate the girl to drop her guard faster. And he was right. As soon as he hinted that Ichigo was in danger the door flew open and the girl's eyes were starting at the body in his arms in a mix of fear and determination to do whatever she can to save him.

*****

Orihime was making dinner when someone knocked on her door, if that could be called knocking, because from the sound of it she was expecting to find the door broken down when she entered the hallway. There was no one among her friends who would do that so she proceeded with caution and when she was a few feet away from the door she asked who it was. The angry voice that came from outside was a familiar one and she felt cold sweat forming on her forehead. What was the blue haired espada doing here? What did he want? What was she supposed to do? He was strong and violent. She felt fear and panic overtake her when the voice implied that Kurosaki was dying. That was enough to brake her out of her thoughts and before she knew it the door was wide opened. As she was expecting the arancar was standing tall infront of her but she didn't pay him no mind because all of her attention was focused on the bloody half-naked body in his arms. It was indeed Kurosaki and he wasn't looking good at all.

"Hurry up! Take him inside!" She said without a hint of hesitation to let one of her former captors inside in her home.

Grimmjow went in and put Ichigo carefully on the ground continuing to pressure the wound. Inoue wasn't too far behind him. She kneeled down next to the shinigami and stretched both of her hands over him.

"Sōten Kisshun, watashi wa kyozetsu suru." As she said that an orange half-oval barrier formed around Ichigo.

By the looks of it this was going to take awhile so Grimmjow made himself comfortable against the wall with his legs crossed and hands behind his head.

The wound was terrible. Inoue had healed Kurosaki countless times before but she never, not once, had came across such a terrible wound. From what she could tell Kurosaki had suffered a direct hit to his left side with a sharp object, probably a katana knowing he was in a fight against the sexta espada. And unfortunately that hit had pierced his kidney. She was a top student and biology was one of her favorite subjects in school and that's why she knew that the kidney was a vital organ that participates in the control of the volume of various body fluid, including blood and if not working properly could easily result in death. She was actually amazed that Ichigo was still alive. The wound was severe enough to have killed him and on top of all that he had suffered excessive blood loss from his ither wounds. How was he still breathing was a mystery, a miracle for which she was beyond grateful.

When some time passed and Ichigo's condition was stable enough Inoue could finaly direct her attention to the presence behind her. Thinking back on it letting the enemy inside her home was a stupid thing to do. And she was worried that the espada was waiting for Kurosaki to come around just to hurt him again. She was trying to think of a plan to prevent that from happening. Inoue wasn't stupid so she was painfully aware of the fact that she stood no chance against the arancar, be it in a fight or defense. As if the bluenette could read her mind he spoke in an even and lazy voice.

"Quit sneaking worried peeks at me. I ain't planning anything monstrous as you're probably expecting. Might I remind you it was me who brought him here in order to save his sorry ass. If I wanted him dead I was just going to leave him there to bleed out or kill him in a sort of mercy or something." He was annoyed at the girl's suspicious and untrusting glances, but he was in no position to say anything because no matter how you look at it he was an enemy. He might not have been the one to kidnap her but he was undoubtedly one of her captors, although he did kinda of saved her that one time but he had an ulterior motive, so that one probably didn't count. And if all that wasn't enough to make her hate him he also did try to kill the guy she liked, numerous times. His thoughts were interrupted.

"You have before." She said accusingly looking directly at him.

"Huh?" Was all Grimmjow could mutter because he wasn't actually paying attention to her.

"You have before, you saved him so you could hurt and kill him yourself."

She did have a point to some degree, but that was long ago when they were enemies. Not that they were best friends or anything now but he did consider Ichigo his rival and believed it was the same for the boy. But all of that had nothing to do with her and he didn't own an explanation to the bitch so he said curtly.

"And? That was before. Now we were having just a friendly match."

"Friendly?!" Her voice was suddenly louder and shrill and that kinda surprised him. He didn't think the girl was capable of raising her voice let alone yelling at someone. And having the guts to be yelling at him just added to the surprise. Grimmjow was speechless. But that wasn't a problem because the girl wasn't planning on giving him time to respond anyway. "You almost killed him!" She was practically hysterical. "Not only did you hurt him in various ways and numerous times but you don't even seem apologetic about it. I'm sick and tired of everyone hurting him. What has he ever done to anyone?! Can't you just leave him be?? He wants nothing more but to have a normal life and getting cut on a daily basis isn't normal at all!!" There were tears in her eyes and she was trying her best not to let them fall down her face. Unsuccessfully.

Grimmjow knew the girl cared deeply about Ichigo and hated to see him hurt but he wasn't going to just stand there and take it.

"Why don't ya shut your trap?! You know nothing. Neither about me, neither about our relationship. What we do is none of your business. It doesn't concern you. You're nothing more than a friend and the last time I checked you weren't amongst the closest ones like that short female shinigami with the dark hair." He hit right where it hurt.

Orihime was perfectly aware that she was merely a classmate till recently and had became a "friend" only because she tagged along on their "adventures" and uninvited too. She also knew she was useless most of the time and at times was even a burden to all of them. The only thing she could do was heal their wounds but she couldn't fight and was doing a poor job of defending too. In comparison to her the captain of the 4th division was a far better healer than her and could also fight unlike her. Inoue knew she was replaceable in every way.

Grimmjow not caring about the inner turmoil the girl was in continued on. "And let me remind you that it was because of you and your stupidity that all your friends had to come to Hueco Mundo to save your sorry ass. And it was because Ulquiorra was in charge of you that Ichigo had to face him and get killed not once but twice!!!" That did it, it was the last nail on the coffin. All the guilt and self-blame came crashing down and she bursted into tears. Grimmjow was both happy and felt kinda bad about that. He did believe she deserved it but also felt like he maybe overdid it. He was most certainly not a gentleman but he wasn't that big of an asshole to make a girl cry on purpose. Not knowing what to do and apologizing being out of the question he waited patiently for the girl to calm down.

"If you're done healing him tell me where he lives." Orihime turned abruptly and looked at him terrified.

"I'm just gonna drop him home damn it! What the hell do you take me for? Do you think just because I'm a hollow I'm evil and can't do anything right? What makes you think you're better than me?" Inoue knew he was right but couldn't bring herself to trust him or like him in any way. "And that's my last warning - do or say one more thing that I don't like and I'm gonna obliterate him with cero on the spot. And there won't be anything left from him for you to bring back." Grimmjow was bluffing but the girl didn't know that and he didn't want to waist any more time and energy to coax her into cooperating. His personal experience had proven him without fail that fear was always working no matter the situation.

Orihime wasn't sure how serious Grimmjow was in his threats but didn't want to risk finding out so she complied.

"Tsubaki can you please show him the way to Kurosaki's place." The spirit did as he was told, even if he was itching to say something and start an argument he was smart enough to know when to keep his mouth shut.

Inoue sent them off and shut the door. With the adrenalin gone her legs gave away and she crumpled to the ground. She was tired and hurt emotionally, she was mentally exhausted. Hoping everything was going to be alright she made her way to her bed collapsed atop of it and immediately fell asleep with tears still running down her face. Healing a wound so serious had taken a great toll on her and the guilt from Grimmjow's words added to her exhaustion and even if she wanted, she didn't have the energy to do anything else but pray for Kurosaki to he alright.

*****

The little flying thing the woman had called a spirit led Grimmjow to an avenge looking house that wasn't too big but wasn't too small either. The house was attached to a slightly bigger building. When Grimmjow looked up he read the sign 'Kurosaki clinic' . So the boy's parents were some kind of doctors. That, Grimmjow thought, was kinda ironic. He wondered if his parents knew what their, no doubt, beloved son was doing and what will they do if they find out.

"There." Came a male voice and Grimmjow was a little surprised the spirit could talk, because during the whole time he had stayed silent and because of that Grimmjow had presumed it was mute or something. Stopping his thoughts at that he gave all his attention to the little insect that was pointing to a window on the second floor. "That's Kurosaki's room. You can get in through the window." Grimmjow made a grimace and raised an eyebrow that was indication enough for the spirit to explain further. "Because he lives with his family, Kurosaki doesn't want to risk waking them up in the middle of the night in case a hollow appears." Tsubaki was hoping that would clear the picture for the arancar and he will be deemed no longer needed and send away and would finaly go back to Inoue. The blue haired espada was intimidating to say the least and he couldn't wait to get as far away from him as possible and preferably in one piece.

Grimmjow looked up skeptically and shook his head to gesture the insect to disappear and he didn't have to repeat himself because the thing was gone the very second he was "dismissed".

In one swift jump Grimmjow was up and in front of the window. He pushed it a little to see if it was really unlocked and when that proved to be true he opened it fully and entered the room. He looked around curiously. The room was small and didn't have much furniture. There was a desk with a chair, a wardrobe and a single bed. The room was fairly normal. Not that he expected anything out of the ordinary or something way too flashy but Kurosaki was a healthy teenage boy so there had to be at least a little something around. But after a quick look around Grimmjow concluded that his room was nearly empty and wasn't showing any interests or hobbies of it's occupant. There were no posters, no CDs, no books, there was absolutely nothing. For a moment Grimmjow stood in the middle of the room and wondered why. Was there a reason behind it or was it that Ichigo just had no particular interest in anything other than studying and being a substitute shinigami. Ichigo was by no means stupid but wasn't smart either, like that annoying four eyes with the weird white cape. Ichigo was many things, but a nerd wasn't one of them and thank God because if he was Grimmjow was probably going to be a lot less patient and a lot more 'kill on the spot' kind of guy. Eventually Grimmjow gave up. It was none of his business and even if it was he knew way too little about Ichigo to be able to answer all of his questions. He doubted even his so called friends knew him that well.

After Grimmjow was done with his little inspection of the teens bedroom he proceeded to put Ichigo in the bed. Than he suddenly remembered the boy was human and looked around for his body. Nothing. At least he had the decency to hide the seemingly dead body before heading out. That was definitely a smart choice for various reasons, although the main one was probably his family. He looked around once more and if he had to guess than the only place a human body could be hidden in this small room was probably there. Grimmjow opened the closet and there it was folded in two. It was amazing how Ichigo was treating his own body like it was some kind of a gigai that was easily replaced. Grimmjow dragged the body to the side of the bed and laid it on the mattress as carefully as possible, considering he was still holding onto Ichigo in his spiritual form. The arancar knew humans were fragile and was careful not to inflict any injuries on the kid's human body because the last thing he would want was to have to pay another visit to the annoying bitch. After Grimmjow was done with setting the physical form he proceeded to put Ichigo's spiritual form back in his body.

With that his job here was finished and he was ready to bite the dust, but decided to spare one last glance at the teen before he went. The boy looked so peaceful. The usual near-permanent scowl was nowhere to be found and that made Ichigo look a lot younger. Younger? What was Grimmjow even thinking? The boy was fifteen years old, he was practically still a kid. Now that he thought back on it, life was really shitty and unfair. What reason was good enough to force a kid into countless of fights, him getting hurt, nearly killed(or to be precise killed and revived) and having to witness countless deaths with his own eyes, when he was supposed to chase skirts and hang out with friends. Now looking at him Grimmjow saw a pitiful boy dragged in someone else's battles and being forced to act like a man way sooner than he had to.

While Grimmjow was lost in thought he heard footsteps closing in until they stopped right infront of the door, but didn't care much. Whoever it was their spiritual pressure was way too low for them to even notice him, let alone see him. And that's why he was startled by the voice that was so obviously directed at him.

"Who are you?" The voice was constrained and the feelings of worry and fear were noticeably rising with every second passed in silence.

Grimmjow turned slowly around and was shocked to see a short girl that reached barely to his chest. She had straight black hair that was hang around her face, just above her shoulders and dark grey eyes. He looked at her curiously with no intention to answer her question.

The girl stared back at him without moving an inch. The initial feeling of uncertainty and confusion were soon replaced by determination and Grimmjow noticed the burning fire in her eyes. That reminded him of Ichigo in some way.

After waiting for few more seconds and when she didn't receive any kind of response Karin said in a louder and more confident voice. "Who are you and what are you doing in Ichi-nii's room?"

"Ichi-nii? Hahaha now that's one hell of a cute way you call him. God this is hilarious." Grimmjow was laughing out loud and felt his eyes tearing. He couldn't believe Kurosaki was being called that. Grimmjow made a self note to use it in their next fight because THTA was sure to get out some real good reactions from the boy.

"So? Are you his friend or are you an enemy?" Demanded the brat taking one more step further inside the room.

"What makes you think I'm going to tell you? It ain't any of your business. Now scram." Grimmjows said in a threatening voice and waved her off.

"No! I'm not gonna let you hurt my brother!" The girl now had the same look on her face as Ichigo. Grimmjow knew that look all too well. It was the one that was pissing him off the most. It was full of determination to protect the ones he cared about. He could feel his blood starting to boil and reached for his katana and then he calmed down. What was he thinking? Was he going to pick a fight with a middle schooler? And a girl? A mare human that had no powers at all? That was just sad. He took a deep breath and sighed.

"Look kid I ain't here to stir trouble. If anything you should be thanking me for bringing his unconscious ass home instead of jumping me and accusing me without any proof." The girl still didn't look at too convinced but looked down obviously ashamed for being prejudiced. Grimmjow felt bad and wanted to wrap it up as fast as possible befor the brat started to cry or something because apparently that was what human females did, all the time. "Listen, your brother was heavily injured ..." She instantly looked at him paniced and worried and Grimmjow continued hurriedly " ... and I took him to ... a doctor of some kind. So now he's perfectly fine but he needs rest so fuck off and let him sleep in peace." She nodded obediently and led out a sight of relief.

Now when that was settled Grimmjow was thinking it would be best to get going before he was caught in something annoying again, when suddenly his thoughts were interrupted yet again by another voice.

"Karin-chan? What's taking so long? Dinner will get cold." Another girl showed up. This one was stark contrast to the other. She had short light blonde hair and dark brown eyes and appeared more easygoing than the first one.

Grimmjow was so curious about the second girl and was so caught up in staring that he missed his chance to say his goodbyes and bail. Not that he couldn't do it now but it was going to be plain rude and he had to admit he was still curious. It was true what they said 'Curiosity killed the cat'. He found it sarcastic considering his released form was a panther.

"So? Did you wake Nii-chan up?" The blonde head picked inside the dark room and narrowed her eyes trying to see. Grimmjow noticed immediately that this one couldn't see him.

"Yuzu Ichi-nii wont be eating with us. He said he wasn't feeling well and wants to rest." The black hair one started to stir the blonde one towards the door gently.

"Eeh? But I made all his favorite dishes because dad went on a business trip. Can't he eat at least a little?" The blonde tried to protest but didn't stop moving.

Grimmjow was just standing there like a spectator, observing and learning about Ichigo's private life. It was interesting to know what kind of environment Ichigo had grown in and how he turned like that.

"And what about his guest?" Yuzu asked innocently pointing a finger in Grimmjows direction.

Grimmjow was deadpanned. "You can see me too?" But there was no answer and the girl didn't change her facial expression at all. Grimmjow was confused. What was going on? She couldn't see or hear him, but knew he was there and even pointed at him?

Karin noticed the puzzled look on the bluenette's face and offered an explanation. "No, she can neither see nor hear you, she's only able to see a blur and can feel the presence of ghosts but nothing more."

"Oh, do you know the ghost?" Yuzu asked existed.

"He's not exactly a ghost and he appears to be Ichi-nii's friend. It was him who helped him home when he wasn't ... um ... feeling well."

Grimmjow wondered why was she changing the story or more like not telling the whole story but there was probably a reason behind it and he didn't care that much.

"Really?" The blonde chirped happily and ran straight to where Grimmjow was standing. She stoped infront of him, smiled and bowed. "Thank you for taking care of our big brother." Grimmjow was genuinely shocked. That was the first time someone showed gratitude to him. Not that he had done many good deeds but still. He had to admit it felt good and he smiled not knowing what to say. Then he remembered the blond one couldn't see or hear him, so he stretched his hand and ruffled her hair gently. She raised her head and smiled. The other one was smiling too, even if it was barely noticeable.

"Oh, I have an idea." The blonde clapped her hand together and looked excitedly at her sister. "How about we have dinner together? To thank him for his help?" At that Grimmjow felt ... guilt? That was another new feeling for him.

"No need. I probably should be going anyway. I have ... um... things to go." He tried to make an excuse. It was a poor attempt if he nay say himself.

"Come on! We have to show you our gratitude and to apologize for before too." Said the dark haired.

"For before?" He tilted his head questioningly.

"You know, when I accused you and all. It wasn't right of me and I want to apologize properly."

Yuzu couldn't see or hear their guest but knew he was hesitant on accepting the invitation so she said in a sweet pleading voice. "Pretty please."

For some inexplicable reason Grimmjow found it extremely difficult to refuse and ended up agreeing. What was that? Could it be he had a soft spot for kids? Impossible! He was the espada of destruction. The sixth strongest in Hueco Mundo and after most of the other Espada were gone he was probably in the top three. He was brutal and violent. He had robbed so many of their lives and he almost killed Ichigo many times. At the thought he felt a throbbing in his chest. He was so undeserving of their gratitude but it was too late to go back on his word. On the contrary of everyone's belief he had morals, true they were a lot different that those of shinigamis and probably humans but still he wasn't trash.

He shoved his hands into his pocket and started walking behind the two girls who were happily talking and laughing infront of him.

They let him through a narrow hallway and down the stairs into a big room with a couch and an enormous TV. They passed through that room and entered another one that was just as big. It had a table with four chairs around it.

They asked him to sit down and wait a bit. Grimmjow slid on one of the chairs and looked as the table was set and different dishes were laid infront of him. It smelled delicious and looked great. Grimmjow was a little worried because even if he could eat human food he technically didn't need it and he hadn't had any. He saw it as pointless and a waste of time. Not to mention there weren't a lot of cuisines in Hueco Mundo.

"I hope you like it." The blonde said shyly and gestured them to start.

Grimmjow decided to begin with the plate infront of him. It looked strange, it was divided in two halfs - one was pure white and the other brown. He looked at the girls and saw they were using the round thing so he picked the same one. The last thing he wanted was to make a fool of himself and show the complete lack of table manners. He took half of both and shoved it in his mouth. For a second he thought he might be in heaven. Never in his entire life did he eat something so delicious.

Grimmjow started devouring the plate and forgot he wasn't alone. When the plate was cleared of it's contents he looked up and saw the two pair of eyes on him, waiting. He blushed, a little embarrassed and said. "It was delicious. I've never had anything like this before." When the blonde didn't react the arancar paniced wondering if what he said wasn't enough. Than he heard the dark hair one conveying his words. That was starting to get on his nerves. Wasn't there a way for the blonde to see him too? He thought hard and long and didn't come up with anything ... except... oh.... that could work ... maybe. There was no harm in trying. He pushed his chair back and stood up. He saw the questioning look the dark hair girl was giving him and judged it would be best to offer an explanation in order not the scare them.

"I want to try something that could help your sister see me too, while I'm here that is. I'm not sure if it will work but there's no harm in trying."  
The black haired girl stared at him for a few seconds until his word sank in and then narrowed her eyes.

"Is it save?" She asked and Grimmjow noticed the worried frown that had started to form on her forehead. That, he noted to himself, was another resemblance to Ichigo, although her's wasn't as deep and as scary as his.

"Sure." He answered and shrugged his shoulders. "If it proves to be a failure nothing will happen except me wasting my time and reiatsu." He added in hope it would sound more like 'I know what I'm doing so there's nothingto worry about' and waited for her answer.

The dark haired girl just nodded slowly in what seemed like an agreement but still appeared to be worried although the frown was mostly gone.

Grimmjow made his way to where the blonde was sitting and waited until she was given the explanation too.

"Really? I can see him too? Great! I can't wait! I hope it works!" She was excited and there wasn't even the slightest fear in her.

Was that alright? How were they so calm and trusting? They had no proof he wasn't an enemy. How could they believe his every word without question? Then he remembered Ichigo. Knowing him he probably protected them and shelter them from everything and everyone that could pose a threat to his precious younger sisters. And suddenly that explained a lot about Ichigo's character amd motivation.

Grimmjow placed his hand atop of the blond's head and concentrated. He was trying to transfer a small amount of his reiatsu to her and that way he would intensify her own spiritual pressure enabling her ability to see and hear spiritual creatures. There was a burst of blue light and he moved away from the girl. She slowly opened her eyes and looked straight at him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for Grimmjow's awkward interaction with Ichigo's little sisters. Grimmjow gets to experiemce a lot of new things and even gets a chance to learn few things about Ichigo that even his closest friends don't know about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone!! 
> 
> I got my first comment and that made me kind of happy so in honor of that, I decided to upload the next chapter a little earlier than planned.
> 
> Hope you like it. (〃￣ω￣〃ゞ

"You're handsome." Were her first words and it took few seconds for Grimmjow to process but when he did he flushed red. The statement wasn't all tha shocking but the sincerity is what hit him right in the heart. What was wrong with those two? First they thank him, then they feed him and now they complimented him on his looks? He turned and went strait for his chair trying his best to calm down and regain the normal color of his face. He could hear the black haired brat chuckling behind him but surprisingly he didn't mind it and the main reason for that was Yuzu’s bright smile that seemed to illuminate the whole room. 

"Umm how should I call you?" Asked the blonde apologetically, but still failing to hide her happyness. She was looking at him with wide shiny eyes full of curiosity.

"Huh?" Grimmjow wasn't following. 

"Oh, right! We didn't make any introductions." Said Karin and continued. "I'm Karin and this is Yuzu. And as you probably guessed it already we're twins and Ichigo's little sisters."

"Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez." That was a fairly short introduction but he wasn't sure how much they knew about their brother being a shinigami substitute and about the existence of monsters known as hollows. Knowing Kurosaki he probably hid everything from them and came up with some ridiculous lies to explain his constant disappearances and injuries. 

"So ... umm ... if you're still hungry would you like more curry? I made plenty because it's Nii-chan's favorite." Yuzu asked hopefully and although he wanted to agree he didn't quite understand what she was asking him. Thankfully Karin was observant enough to notice he was in trouble and came to his rescue, again.

"The curry is what we all just ate. It's one of Ichi-nii's favorite dishes and he would usually have two or three servings, so Yuzu makes a lot." Grimmjow nodded and smiled slightly at Karin as a form of thanks for the explanation and handed his plate to Yuzu, who happily refilled it. 

When they were done eating Yuzu started to collect the tableware and Grimmjow stood up to help her. He took what was left on the table, which was practically almost everything and followed her into the kitchen. She looked at him strangely.

"What? Something wrong?" He asked confused at the disapproving stare she was giving him.

"What are you doing? You're a guest! You shouldn't be helping around!" She looked troubled. 

"I have my manners and it's nothing special so I don't see where the problem is." It was obvious she was going to protest further so he hurriedly asked. "Where do I put these?" That seemed to be enough to distract her. 

"In the sink." She pointed and murmured a quiet 'thanks'. 

"Don't sweat it." He said and ruffled her hair. "Well then thank you for the delicious dinner but I should probably get going." Truth be told he wasn't in a hurry to go anywhere and he was feeling quite comfortable here but he didn't want to overstay his welcome and even less wanted to interact with Ichigo when he woke up.

"What? So soon? Can't you stay just a little bit longer? There's dessert." Yuzu launched at him pleading and pouting, tugging on his sleeve. Grimmjow found it so hard to refuse. He most certainly had a weak spot for the girl.

"If you think the curry was good than you absolutely have to try the dessert, it's heavenly." Karin teased and smiled devilishly. She was obviously trying to tempt him with food but it wasn't necessary. With or without it he was more than delighted to stay a little longer. 

Yuzu explained she had to finish the dishes first and then she would serve dessert in the livingroom. Karin was going to help her so they could be done faster and when Grimmjow offered his help he was thrown out of the kitchen and told to watch TV until they're done. He found himself alone in the livingroom looked around and then went to the couch and sunk into it's softness. He closed his eyes and relaxed, he couldn't remember when was the last time he felt so calm and relaxed, almost felt like a kid.

His mind was once more occupied with thoughts of Ichigo. He couldn't comprehend why was he like that. Everytime they interacted the boy was either angry or depressed, always serious and always wearing that permanent scowl. He had a family and a home. What was he unsatisfied with? His sisters were cute and nice, it was obvious they loved him and spoiled him a lot. Grimmjow was honestly jealous of what he had. Maybe it had something do to with his parents. From what he heard the father was away but considering how the girls spoke of him he didn't seem to be any different from them. What was left was his mother. No one had mentioned her and Yuzu was the one doing the cooking and cleaning, so maybe she was away too. Grimmjow was determined to get to the bottom of this. He didn't know why he was so obsessed with the orangatte but he couldn't help it, he just had to know.

He was brought back to the present by the rattle of tableware. Few minutes later the two girls entered the room each caring a tray. Karin's tray had three green cups and a teapot in the same color. There was steam coming from it and Karin settled it down on the table careful as to not spill the hot content. Yuzu's tray had three small white plates with pink floral decorations in the center and a long plate with something pink on it. Grimmjow guessed that was the rumored dessert. He had to admit it looked cute but he was kind of hesitant to try it. It looked like something a girl would eat and it totally didn't match his image. Then he looked at Yuzu and how excited she was and was ready to swallow his pride once more. 

"This is a strawberry roll cake." Yuzu announced proudly. "It's Nii-chan's favorite dessert along with the strawberry shortcake." 

The statement caugh Grimmjow off guard and he couldn't contain his reaction at all. He bursted into laughter and he was so loud that he was probably heart all the way to Hueco Mundo. Tears were falling down his face and his stomach hurt so bad. "Really? Who ever named him sealed his fate big time." He couldn't believe he was witnessing all of this. Kurosaki was trying to create this tough, strong and scary delinquent persona when in reality he was delightfully devouring strawberry desserts at home. God that was priceless. 

Yuzu pounted and Karin smirked. They both knew what was going on in the bluenette's mind and weren't particularly angry at him, but the subject of the joke wasn't going to be as forgiving if he were to find out. And judging by Grimmjow's character Ichigo was hundred percent sure to find out or more like he was going to be told off in the face.

When Grimmjow finally calmed down Yuzu cut three slices of the roll, placed it gently on every plate and handed them out. Meanwhile Karin poured the green tea and set the cups infront of them.

Grimmjow cut a piece of the pinkish desert and shoved it into his mouth. It had an incredible flavor and it was melting onto his tongue. 

"A strawberry vanilla roll cake is filled with fresh homemade strawberry jam and vanilla flavored cream cheese frosting, served with fresh strawberries on top. It usually goes with green or jasmin tea." Yuzu sounded really proud and Grimmjow totally understood why. The thing was just like Karin said it would be - heavenly delicious. 

"That was amazing! It was literally melting on my tongue." He licked his lips and his finger to collect any remaining traces of the little piece of heaven. "I'm strarting to seriously consider kidnapping you to be my sisters instead. That asshole doesn't deserve to be spoiled like that." He said jokingly and winked at the girls. Yuzu blushed and looked downd and Karin rolled her eyes at the the over exaggerated suggestion. 

"Don't roll your eyes at me! I'll probability develop a constant craving for strawberries because of you and when tha happens I'm gonna hold you responsible." He threaten but there was no bite behind his words.

"I don't see where the problem is. You can have them or should I say him every day." Karin said casually as if she was commenting on the weather. When Grimmjow looked at her he saw the spark in her eyes and he immediately picked up on the hint and smirked at her. She was one hell of a devil. Yuzu on the other hand was way too innocent for those kind of things and didn't get it, and no matter how much she asked and begged them to explain they both refused, so in the end she gave up.

The two girl sat at both his sides settling comfortably in the couch. They chated a little. And they even shared some storied about their father and his constant harassment to them and to Ichigo. From what Grimmjow could gather the father was a goofy gorila with an easygoing personality. Obviously he wasn't the reasons behind Ichigo's behavior although by the stories he obviously a serious pain it the ass for Ichigo. That left the mother. Grimmjow was debating if he should ask or not but then decided to go on about it in a roundabout way. 

"I really don't get it. What's his problem?" He said with a sigh feigning annoyance. 

"What do you mean?" Asked Karin picking up the conversation just like Grimmjow had hoped she would. 

"Well he's always in a foul mood, wearing that permenent scowl and he's rarely smiling. I always asumed he had some family issues, but now I really don't know what he's so unsatisfied with." He made a short pause to let his words sink and continued. "He has a family and a place to call home. He has friends that support him. So what gives?" The silence that followed was long and kind of heavy. The twins were deep in thought and he didn't know how to proceed. Should he wait till one of them spoke or should he change the subject? He was ready to say something when Karin said in a quite voice that sounded much like whisper. 

"It can't be helped. It was long ago but I guess it's not that easy to forget." Karin was now sounding serious and was looking down at her hands. Yuzu on the other hand was no longer smiling and was looking like she was on the verge of crying. Grimmjow was fast to notice the depressing atmosphere and was just about to apologize for asking and let it go when Karin continued. "It was ten years ago. Ichi-nii was nine at the time. He was a real crybaby and when he wasn't crying he was smiling from morning to night, a real goofball. Thinking back on it he was like any other child all smiles and laughed. I really loved my big brother like that." Her voice sounded so distant as if it was something of the past, as if Kurosaki had changed and was no longer the same person. Grimmjow didn't know why but he was about to find out and a part of him wasn't ready for it. He wasn't sure he could act the same after it and he wasn't really to let go of what he had with Kurosaki. The kid was a great sparring partner, one Grimmjow was sure he would never come across ever again. But even so he wanted to know more about Ichigo, about him, his past and what made him the man he was now. He didn't know why but Grimmjow needed to know all of that no matter what so he kept his mouth shut and continued listening. 

"One rainy day mom was picking him up from the karate dojo he was taking lessons at. As they were walking home Ichi-nii had though he saw a girl near the river and thought she was about to jump into it. Unable to tell the difference between ghosts and living people, he ran towards her to stop her. Ichi-nii said he had lost consciousness soon after he rushed to the girl's rescue and when he came around mom was lying on top of him, covered in blood, dead." Grimmjow was expecting some kind of tragedy concerning his mother and him but that was a lot heavier than he thought. "The day after mom's funeral our brother changed completely. He would repeatedly skip school to go to the riverbank and wander from morning until night, as if searching for something. This continued for awhile and no matter how worried we were he refused to talk with us. He would just fake a smile and say he was ok. I think he stoped doing it because he didn't want to worry us any further and decided to find another way of coping up with his pain."

Grimmjow gave it a minute to let the information sink in. And even after finding all that he still couldn't explain Ichigo's behavior. Was he too stupid to make the connection? Maybe it was a human thing that he didn't understand. Truth be told Grimmjow didn't want to dig any further into it because it was obviously a painful topic for the girls but considering he came this far he decided to try just a little bit more. Thinking before speaking and picking his word as carefully as possible he began. "I don't want to sound rude or insensitive but people die. This is the normal circle of life. Yes, your mother died earlier than expected and in an accident but I still see no connection to his change." He was expecting a major backlash from the girls because of his words but weirdly enough Karin just looked at him and said. 

"Ichi-nii was very attached to our mother, she was his sun, his world, the one person he loved most in the world. And ... it wasn't the fact that she died what hit him hard but the fact that he thinks it was his fault."

"Come again?" Grimmjow was listening, he was, but he couldn't understand what she was saying. It didn't make any sense. Was he really that stupid? 

"The thing is that big brother was born with the ability to see ghosts and could see them perfectly from a very young age. That day on the riverbank what he saw was probably a ghost and because he couldn't tell them apart he rushed wanting to help the girl. Father said that while trying to save her he probably failed to grab her and lost his stepping. And in order to save him mom jumped in and got hurt instead. Ichigo feels like it's his fault she died and feels guilty that as he once said 'stole our mother from us'."

"This is ridiculous! There's no way he thinks that! It was obviously an accident! And your mother protected her child. That's what parents are supposed to do! Right? And what's this crazy talk about 'stealing' your mother? That's stupid. You could have thought something like that!" He make a few seconds pause and added. "Right?" Grimmjow unconsciously made his last sentence into a question although he knew there was no way in hell those two would do something like that. But still there was a small part of him that needed confirmation, even if it meant hurting them a little with his doubtfulness. 

"Of course not! We love our big brother and would never think something like that!" Yuzu jumped from the sofa, clenching her tiny fists ready to swing them at anyone who might suggest otherwise. 

"Right. I suspect as much." He said trying to minimize the damage from his question. "But still. I can't believe it affected him this much and you two seem ok."

"Well if I have to be honest I don't remember our mother that much." Karin said shrugging her shoulders. 

The silence that followed was rather uncomfortable for Grimmjow. The nice and fluffy mood from before was no where to be found. Given the revelations he was just presented with he felt in a rather sticky situation. There was no way he could crack a joke to lighten the mood because it would be rude and insensitive of him. And he couldn't just up and leave because he was going to come as a jerk. This was the first time Grimmjow was experiencing such a problem and he had no idea how to proceed. So he did the only thing he could do - wait. And while waiting there was one single question running through his head iver and over again 'Why the fuck did I have to open my big mouth and ruined everything?!'.

The quietness was prolonging and Grimmjow was starting to panic and hope Ichigo would just wake up and come kick his ass out of this torture. But then his ears picked on an unusual sound and when he turned to inspect he saw the blond twin sobbing and trying her best to muffle the sounds. Grimmjow was positive he had no heart but at that moment he was proven wrong because he clearly felt a stab in his chest where his heart was supposed to be located. 

"Oh, come on Yuzu, you have to stop doing that. It's been more than five years already. You can't start crying every time someone mentions mom." Karin was sounding more annoyed and angry than worried.

"I can't help it. I miss her and I miss how Nii-chan used to smile and laugh. He rarely talks and we barely see him smiling nowadays. It's not fair!" Yuzu retort and at this point she was no longer trying to muffle her sobs and was whining openly. 

"You know Ichi-nii is the type that is more like ... you know ... expressionless. He prefers not to show his emotions and you should know that has nothing to do with mom's death. If you want something to blame for that poker face of his than blame puberty."

"I'm not entirely sure what you're talking about but as I see it it's totally not true. He smiles and laughs a lot. Too much if you ask me. So much that it actually gets on my nerves and makes me want to kick his ass even harder." Despite his best intentions to reassure the girls that their brother is perfectly normal and is having fun like everyone else Grimmjow accidentally let the 'kicking of his ass' slip by. He froze and started thinking of a not-so-obvious lie to cover up his stupid slip up. 

"He never does when he's at home." Yuzu complainted. 

Grimmjow raised an eyebrow and scratched his neck a little confused. He sneaked a quick look at Karin. There was no change in either of them, neither in their emotions nor in their expressions. Ok? So neither of them was planning to touch on that topic? No questions asked? Really? Did they miss it? Or did they think it was just a figure or speach and he didn't really mean it? Well he didn't mind it either way. In this particular case he preferred to be misunderstood than questioned so he kept his mouth shut about it and offered an explanation to Yuzu's last complaint.

"That's probably because he's trying to act cool. He's an idiot so that's probably what he thinks is cool."

"You're probably right." Yuzu seemed to agree with Grimmjow's logic and that obviously made her feel better because she had stopped crying and was now wiping off the tears from her cheeks. "I wish he would smile more often. I like his smiling face. It looks like mom and makes me feel like she's here with us." 

"Hmm does it now. Makes me curious to see how your mother looked like." Grimmjow said thoughtlessly.

"That can be easy aranged." Grimmjow turned his attention back at Karin who was now smirking challengkngly at him. He raised a eyebrow suspiciously. "Just turn around." And Grimmjow did just that. And infront of him on the wall there was a big poster of a woman. She had fair skin and long, light, wavy brown hair down to her waist, which was tied in a ponytail in the back of her neck and had few bangs left free that were waving on her front sides and were reaching down to her chin. She had brown eyes, just like Ichigo's. For some reason Grimmjow was starting at the photo, unable to move his eyes, mesmerized, and without thinking he let his thoughts out loud. Something he would soon regret. 

"Wow she's beautiful. Ichigo totally follows after her." After an awkward silence and two blushing girls followed a third blush. Grimmjow prayed for the ground to open and swallow him whole. He couldn't believe what had just left his mouth. He was practically saying Ichigo was beautiful. Not that he wasn't but it wasn't necessary for everyone to know he thought that. Wait, what? Did he really think that?? God!! No! Something's was seriously wrong with him! But he would have enough time to worry about that later, now he had to save what little dignity he had left.

"That came out wrong, very wrong. What I meant to say was that they look alike ... you know ... with the color of the hair and the chocolate brown eyes and everything." He knew they weren't buying it but it was better than staying silent as if admitting it openly. 

"Hmmm, so you're saying Nii-chan isn't good looking? Is that it?" Yuzu asked accusingly and as if to emphasize how insulted she felt about his statement she crossed her arms infront of her and started tipping with her index finger.

In a state of panic Grimmjow totally fell for the trick and said. "I didn't say that. He's totally beautiful, just like his mother. Now I know where he got his good looks from." It took him mere seconds to realize the blunder he had made but it was already too late and the two girls were smiling at him sinisterly. "You little devil. And here I thought you were the angel and your sister the evil one." 

"You seem to forget we're twins. But no worries. If it's an angel you're looking for I'm sure Ichi-nii will help send you to heaven if you ask him to."

Grimmjow knew exactly what she was implying and surprisingly didn't find it disturbing or disgusting at all. But than he thought of the so called 'angel' and 'heaven' they were referring to and found it rather ironic. The girls didn't have the slightest idea of how close to the truth they actually were.

After trying few more times to clear things up Grimmjow eventually gave in. They weren't listening at all and were all too happy to indulge in their fantasies about him and their brother. And as far as Grimmjow was concerned there was no harm in it, as long as they didn't say a word to Ichigo, which he was sure they wouldn't. This was all in good fun and the arancar knew the girls didn't really meant it. Even if Grimmjow himself wasn't that much against the idea he doubted Ichigo's sisters would be as accepting if the said scenario turned out to be true. Because let's be real who in their right mind would give their loved ones to a monster and a killer. 

Having lightened up the mood and put the smiles back on the girls faces, even if it was at his expense, Grimmjow decided there was no better time than now to take his leave. Didn't want to risk the orangatte to wake up and ruin everything. 

"Ok, ok, I'm glad you're both back to your usual happy self, so I guess my job here is done." He ruffled Yuzu's hair and gave Karin a fist bump. He released them both, took a step back and turned around heading for the door because it was going to be hella creepy if he went back up in their brother's room and left through the window, although that would give him the opportunity to take one last look at Ichigo before he goes. It was really tempting but he didn't want to be labeled a creep so he gave up on the idea. Grimmjow was now standing infront of the door ready to open it and disappear into the night. 

"Promise you'll come again." Yuzu said and tugged on his clothes to get his attention and maybe make him turn around to face her. 

"Sure. With your cooking you'll be thinking of a way to get rid of me not invite me over." There was no way he would ever step food in this house again and he knew that very well. If it weren't for his injury and current state of unconsciousness Kurosaki would have never let Grimmjow get close to his sisters or his home and would probably, no make that definitely kill him on the spot without a second thought. But the girls didn't know anything and he could understand why Ichigo would choose to hide the truth from them and Grimmjow wasn't monster enough to ruin his perfect lie. He gave a wink and turned the doorknob. He went outside and turned around to say his last goodbye to the girls who were waving at him. He waited until they closed the door before sonidoing away. 

Grimmjow was barely few meters away when he heard a loud scream and his blood froze. He hadn't spent that much time with the Kurosaki family but he could recognize that voice immediately. Without wasting time he was already infront of the house. There he felt the presence of a hollow. It wasn't a strong one, at least not for him but was way too strong for the girls. Grimmjow rounded the house and saw the intruder in the backyard trying to get in the house and obliterated it with a cero. 

Grimmjow peeked through the curtains and saw both Yuzu and Karin laying on the floor. He pushed the window door open and entered. 

"Yuzu! Karin! Can you hear me? Oi!" He shook them up and looked for any injuries and was relieved when there were none. So relieved that he even let out a sight. Karin was the first to wake up.

"What happened?" She asked still a little dazed. Grimmjow wasn't sure what to say or how to answer without revealing everything to her. "Was it a hollow again?" She added.

"Again? So you've came across those things before? And know what they are?" Karin nodded in confirmation. Grimmjow was shocked and confused at the same time. So now it was no longer a matter of if they know but how much they knew. Considering the fact they can see and feel spirits it was kinda logical they knew about the existence of hollows to some extent. But taking into account how friendly they were towards him he was sure they knew close to nothing about Aizen and the arancars and the recent war with Soul Society.

"Yuzu! Wake up! Please." Karin was now shaking her twin sister and practically yelling at here.

"Calm down. She's fine, just fainted. She'll come around in a bit. Give her time."

After a couple of minutes Yuzu let out a groan, cracked an eye open and pushed herself into a sitting position. She rubbed her head absentmindedly. Her eyes were still a little unfocused but when her mind finally cleared up her eyes widened and she launched at Grimmjow and hugged him. That act of 'affection' surprised him but he managed to stay still.

"It's fine kid. It's gone. It can't hurt you no more." He said and rubbed her back in attempt to calm her down. 

"You're not a shinigami like Ichi-nii." The way Karin said it was more of a statement than a question and was mostly directed at herself but Grimmjow still fell like he needed to confirm it.

"No, I'm not. I'm an arancar. " She just nodded. He waited few seconds and asked. "Are you afraid of me now?" Grimmjow had faught a lot of battles and was close to death more often than not but was proud to say he never once felt scared for his life. But now, now was a whole different story. It was the first time he actually felt terrified of something and of all things it had to be to ask a stupid ass question. No. He knew better. It wasn't the question he was afraid of, but the answer he might get. He was stunned at how attached he had become to the two human girl and in a mere few hours too. For a split second Grimmjow debated if it wouldn't be better to just run away. What you don't know can't hurt you, right? This he realized was one hell of a coward way of thinking and he wanted to punch himself the second the thought crossed his mind. What was happening to him? Was there something in his food? Was he going crazy? Him, the arancar of destruction, having feelings of insecurity and wanting to be ... liked? Scared to be rejected and hated? This was ridiculous!

Grimmjow was shook out of his thoughts by Karin as she exhaled and was preparing to speak He felt his breath stoping and his heartbeat slowing down in anticipation. "No. You helped Ichi-nii and now you saved us. It doesn't matter what you are. If our brother believes in you and considers you a friend than the same goes for us too." She ended her speech with a warm hug around his torso. Grimmjow was feeling both relief and guilt. Relief because they didn't hate him ... yet. And guilt because he was practically deceiving them for ... everything. He was a monster, a killer, hurt their brother on many occasions and was many things but a friend to him. 

Karin let him go and took a step back. She noticed Yuzu was still holding on to him like a lifeline and taped her on the shoulder to indicate it was time to let go and stop making a nuisance of herself. Yuzu unwrapped her hands slowly and Karin used this chance to pull her to her side. The action wasn’t left unnoticed by the arancar. 

Grimmjow finaly free of the death grip pushed himself off the ground and back on his feet and steped back a little to put some distance between himself and the twins. Despite Karin's words her actions were saying a different thing. The way she separated Yuzu from him and pulled her to her side was protective and Grimmjow didn't need to be told what that meant. He was deemed a threat. He could feel a throbbing in his chest. But what did he expect? No one in their right mind would want to do anything with him. All he knew was death and destruction. He got the message loud and clear - it was time for him to go. 

Grimmjow turned around and made a hesitant step towards the window door. When suddenly Yuzu was again wrapped around his waist. He looked at her in confusion. 

"Don't go! Please! Stay. Even if it's just for a little while longer. Please." She begged him with teary eyes and continued clutching onto his clothes as if that was enough to hold him and prevent him from leaving. 

He looked at Karin. She was trembling a little, it was barely noticeable and was avoiding looking him in the eyes. Was she scared he'd do something to Yuzu? Was that it? Did she really believe he would hurt Yuzu or her? And right after he saved them? He felt the throbbing pain again. 

"Please. Just a little. Please." The blond girl pleaded again, looking almost desperate. Grimmjow was at a loss of what to do. He didn't want to leave Yuzu but didn't want to scare Karin either. 

"Please. I know you said you were busy and we don't want to be a nuisance but ... just a little will be ok." Karin's voice was shaking and was quiet, just above a whisper. And when she looked at him there was no fear in her eyes. That made Grimmjow even more confused and without thinking it through he asked. "Weren't you afraid of me?"

Karin looked at him in bewilderment and disbelief. "No? I already told you we don't fear you. Why did you think that?"

"Well, let's see – you're trembling like a leaf, standing few feets away, avoid looking me in the eyes and pulled Yuzu away from me and behind yourself the second she let go. That type of behavior tends to set off a few alarms." He listed discontented and arched an eyebrow challengingly to hear her brilliant explanation, one he was sure was coming.

"No! It's not like that, it's ... just ... I'm ..." Karin bit her lower lip hard enough to draw blood from it. She was again evading looking at him. Grimmjow felt blood rushing to his head. Them being afraid of him was bad enough he hated the idea of being lied to too.

"You're what? Stop stuttering and talk clearly!" Grimmjow could feel his patience, which was nothing he could brag about, growing thinner by the second. But apparently he wasn't the only one who had troubles keeping his emotions in check. 

"I'm scared ok!?" Karin snaped at him. "Not of you but of that monster that almost killed us. It's been a long time since we've been attacked and … Ichi-nii was always around to save us but now he's ..." She didn't have to finish her sentence for Grimmjow to understand. Her brother was hurt and unconscious and was in no condition to provide protection neither to them nor to himself. 

"I don't get you. Why didn't you say so from the start!? If you had just admit to it in the beginning there weren't going to be any stupid misunderstandings." He said angrily rubbing his neck.

"I'm not used to it, alright? After mom died we all had to adjust. Ichi-nii became the serious and quiet type that tried his best not to take space in the house. And Yuzu started taking care of the house chores. The only thing I could do was to try not to cause any problems. And because Yuzu was the emotional type, enough for all three of us actually, me and Ichi-nii restrained ourselves as much as possible."

Ok, so she wasn't shaking because she was scared of him particularly, but still that didn't explain her weird behavior from earlier. "Then how do you explain that thing with Yuzu?" Why was he so hung up on that? Couldn't he just be satisfied with the given answer and let it go? Damn he was being petty!

"You probably haven't noticed it yet but Yuzu has an enormous brother complex. She idolizes Ichi-nii and looks up to him a lot. And because she likes you, maybe a little to much if I have to be honest, she already unconsciously treats you like Ichi-nii's replacement and clings to you like she does with him. And even though he's used to it he still finds it rather annoying but doesn’t have the heart to tell her off and beacause of that she does as she pleases without a care in the world. And with everything said I didn't want us to make you feel uncomfortable or annoyed by that and make you hate us or something." She finished awkwardly and looked away, her face a mixture of anger and shame. Anger that she had to admit outloud everything that she ever tried to keep a sicret, all her insecurities and worries and to someone she had just met. And shame became of her embarrassing family and the need to having to explain and apologize for their weardess.  
Grimmjow found her shyness and vulnerability very cute because for the first time, since their encounter, she was acting and looking like the weak human girl full of unsecurities and worries she actually was. And that was fine. Pretending to be strong and running from her problems was not the right thing to do and was in no way going to help her in the long-run. A small part of him felt flattered that he was the one she chose to confid in but than on second thought that was probably only because he provoked her so he shouldn't have been too proud of himself. But decpite everything he still thought Karin was cute and could feel getting more amd more attached to the both of them. What else the Grimmjow found was cute was the mental image of Yuzu clinging to Ichigo and him going along with it only to make her happy. This was going in the list of things he wanted to see (and possibly do) before he died. A list that’s been created today and was growing longer and longer with every minute he spent with the Kurosaki family.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Grimmjow's finally ready to except the fact that he cares about the twins to some extent and gladly steps in the role of temporary guardian. They interact some more and Grimmjow lets his guard down. After being out cold for half a day Ichigo finally wakes up and is instantly put in what could be described as a strange situation. What will his reaction be?
> 
> This chapter is going to be a real roller coaster. First it's fluffy and cute than it becomes rather dark and a little depressing and than we have more cuteness. And the chapter ends  
> with Grimmjow's revelation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok guys this is the 3th and half of the 4th chapters. I originally meant it to be a cliffhanger but because you've been kept waiting long enough I decided to spare you (this time) ... and maybe because I don't want you to hate me too much.
> 
> BTW if anyone actually cares on why I'm uploading so late look in the end notes for explanation.
> 
> Enjoy! ( ˘ ³˘)♥

Grimmjow took a deep breath and exhaled slowly to try and collect himself. He just went through an emotional rollercoaster and he was exhausted. More than after a fight actually. Everything was resolved more or less and now he had to figure out what to do with the twins. 

*****

After the confusion was more or less under control and everyone involved had calmed down considerably Grimmjow started analyzing the situation in hope of finding a possible solution. Both Yuzu and Karin had spiritual pressure but it wasn't all that high to attract any hollows but Ichigo's on the other hand was skyrocketing. That kid seriously needed to learn how to control it one of this days. With the amond of reiatsu the boy was leaking it was just a matter of time until something else came around to attack them again. It was obvious that leaving the girls alone was out of the question. But than again Grimmjow wasn't all that eager to stick around and wait for Kurosaki to wake up. Dealing with him was going to be nothing short of a pain in the ass. Why did it have to be so hard? A part of him thought how trouble free his life would have been if he hadn't gotten involved with Kurosaki's sisters but the other part, the bigger one, was thinking that he wouldn't trade this meeting for anything in the world. After giving it some more thought he pushed Yuzu gently by the shoulders to make her let go of him and said. 

"Ok that's enough let's put you to bed already. It's gotten really late and I bet it's way past your bedtime. "That seemed like the right thing to do. Put the girls to sleep and stand guard until Kurosaki wakes up to take over.  
It was the perfect plan and he was positive nothing could go wrong, but those expectations were short lived and were shattered by a rather high pitched voice.

"You're leaving aren't you?" Yuzu was looking at him accusingly and the fear that he was finaly able to subdue came back stronger than before. Grimmjow didn't even have time to contradict her accusations and she was already trembling and her eyes were filling with tears. Grimmjow was confused because he wasn't sure what he did to cause such an outbreak and his initial reaction was to look at Karin who unfortunately was in a similar state but instead of tears there was fire in her eyes, she was looking at him with disappointment and maybe a little bit of hurt because she was feeling betrayed by him. It didn't take a rocked scientists to figure out they were feeling scared and vulnerable, from what had happened and what could happen but their biggest fear right now was that he would turn his back on them in this time of need.

Grimmjow tried his best to soften up his features as best as he could. He was aware of the fact that he looked rather scary and mainly pissed ... all of the time. In this delicate situation he had to look reliable. Something he wasn't sure his face was capable of projecting even if his life depended on it but he was determined to try. After feeling the muscles of his face relax, more than he have ever felt them do, he tried cracking a smile but obliviously not the usual psychotic one but a genuine one. He wasn't sure of the result. His face felt ... strange, unnatural even ... as if it wasn't his. So the logical conclusion was that he was doing it right. When he was sure he looked nothing like his usual self he put his hand on Yuzu's shoulder and squeezed gently to get her attention. 

"Hey, hey, look at me. I'm not going anywhere. I promise. So don't worry, ok?" The girls didn't look the least bit convinced so he continued. "I never intended to leave you alone in the first place. If it really turned out you were scarred of me I was planning to stand watch outside untill your idiot of a brother finaly woke up."

He must have sounded very sincere and reassuring because at the end of his 'speech' Yuzu shot him with hopeful eyes and a bright smile. She looked so happy and excited that she didn't know what to do with her hands and in her flurry she grabed his sleeve obviously following Karin's warning and trying her best to restrain herself from hugging him again. Grimmjow found it cute that she was trying so hard not to do anything that might upset him in any way. Eventhough he never said he didn't like the hugging. Compared to Yuzu, Karin was showing a lot more restrain in her emotions. She too looked relieved that he wasn't leaving but her smile was barely noticeable. Considering the fact how expressionless she was that was most certainly a good sign and also prove he did a good job in reassessing them both of his intentions. 

Grimmjow had to admit that he was seriously impressed with the girls and how different they were. Karin was acting mature and levelheaded for her age, a similarity to her older brother. Yuzu on the other hand was the complete opposite of them both. It was beyond Grimmjow how fast she could change her expressions and swing from one emotion to another in the blink of an eye, but it was refreshing and kind of interesting to watch as long as she didn't go into crying mode of course. Yuzu was overly expressive and was never shy to speak her mind, which made her easy to understand. 'If only Ichigo was more like her.' Grimmjow caught himself thinking that and his heart skipped a beat. Why was he comparing Kurosaki with his sisters? And why the hell did he want to understand him better? With all the commotion he had totally forgotten about this 'little problem' of his. But then again he was feeling tired emotionally and decided to leave it for another time. It's not like it was something urgent anyway. 

After shutting and locking the window door they all proceeded to clean up the mess the hollow had caused. When they were done Karin and Yuzu tugged Grimmjow to follow them and headed back inside the house. They stopped in the middle of the livingroom right infront of the coach gesturing him to sit. 

Grimmjow arched an eyebrow at the action. "I highly doubt the two of you sleep here." He said remembering that he was planning to send them to bed before all this misunderstanding happened. 

"Nope. Our room is upstairs." Yuzu answered happy and continued to stare at him expectantly with her big shiny eyes. 

"Up you go then." He urged them once more but neither of them looked like they were planning to follow his suggestion. 

"Are you kidding us?" Karin asked mockingly and quirked an eyebrow looking utterly unimpressed. "The old man is on a business trip and Ichi-nii is out cold. This is the perfect time for a movie night. And we're not letting such a golden opportunity pass us by just because you want to act like a responsible adult or something." She announced in a very determined voice and crossed her arms in front of her chest to emphasize her statement. Despite the firmness in her voice Grimmjow could easily see Karin was also very excited for some reason unknown to him. Wondering what to do Grimmjow finaly settled for starring blankly at the dark haired twin for few seconds with a poker face and hoping that action would made it obvious that he wasn't sharing her enthusiasm in the last. The twins exchanged knowing looks and Grimmjow could swear he saw a barely noticeable nod. They were having a non-verbal conversation apparently. He waited patiently and turned to Yuzu when she looked at him with renewed determination in her eyes.

"Right! And I'll prepare snacks." Yuzu offered with a big bright smile hoping they'll be able to lure Grimmjow with food and he'll agree to go along with their plan.

"We'll even let you choose the movie!" Karin was trying to add more and more positive aspects on Grimmjow's side in hope to convince him to agree.

The bluenette still didn't look convinced but wasn't looking against the idea either so Yuzu decided to gave it another push and used her ultimate weapon. "Pretty please." She said and made the puppy eyes.

In true it wasn't that Grimmjow didn't want to share their enthusiasm but the thing was that he had absolutely no idea what they were talking about (the hell was a movie?). And because he didn't want to look stupid he just stood his ground and kept his face neutral. The only thing he understood was that they were gonna prepare some more snacks which was a good thing and he decided that whatever they were planning to do it couldn't be that bad if he could have some more of those delicious treats so he shrugged his shoulders and agreed. 

The two girls chirped happily and were looking rather proud of themselves that they managed to persuade their blue haired guest into whatever they were planning and after bestowing him with their brightest smiles they separated and began what he could only presume were preparations for that 'movie' thing they were so excited about.

Grimmjow resumed his previous spot on the couch and sank in the comfortable softness one more. Karin kneeled infront of the TV stand and started roaming through what looked like books. Few minutes later Yuzu came back from the kitchen with a big bow containing something white and steamy in it and placed it in his lap. The two girls then climbed on the couch settling on both his sides and nestled up close to him. They waited for a bit sneaking nervous looks at him. Apparently they were waiting to see if Grimmjow was going to let them stay like that or tell them to move. Surprisingly not only did he not mind the closeness but he actually felt rather comfortable this way. After he showed no signs of protesting they relaxed and turned the TV on. In the end it was Karin who chose the movie which she appeared to like a lot and Yuzu didn't seem too reculant to watch too. As for Grimmjow he didn't give much of a fuck because now his attention was shifted to the thing between his leg (no pun intended). They started the film and turned off the lights. 

The so called movie had proven to be very interesting and soon Grimmjow found himself so engrossed in it that he practically forgot where he was and what was the purpose of him being there in the first place. The thing in the big bow the twins had set in his lap was delicious and he couldn't stop eating it. The girls called it popcorn and said it was a special treat that was a must for watching a movie. Time passed by and after a while Grimmjow reached the bottom of the bow and showed his disappointment with a noise that sounded a lot like a low growl. He turned to Yuzu to ask for more when he saw she was sound asleep and turned to Karin only to find her in the same state. In favor of not disturbing them he remind still. Half an hour later the movie ended and the screen turned black. 

Grimmjow was now lazily starting at the ceiling. The room was dark and quiet but not in the sense Hueco Mundo's nights were. This was different. It was comfortable and peaceful, it made him feel save. He didn't want to move because he didn't want to wake up the twins who were currently using him as a pillow. On the other hand he too was feeling tired and the bodies presed on his sides weren't helping. They were so warm and the sounds of their breaths were so quite and even that Grimmjow found them soothing.  
When was the last time he felt another person's warmth on his skin? When was the last time he felt this calm and relaxed? Maybe never. He was so caught up in his evolution and becoming strong that he ignored everything else. All he cared about was becoming king. But what about now? Having experienced all this, even if it was only for a short while, it was more than enough to plant the seeds of doubt and make him hesitant. For the first time in his entire existence he wasn't sure what course of action he should take. He looked around slowly, taking in every little detail he had previously ignored and after a while his eyes ended their exploration on the two sleeping girls. Grimmjow was ignorant about a lot of thing but he knew what this was.  
This is what humans called home and family. He smiled lazily wrapping an arm around each twin pulling them closer. This was something he could get use to. It was nice and for the first time he felt right, he felt like he actually belonged somewhere. His mind was getting fuzzy and he could feel he was dozing off but before he could get a hold of himself he had already sank deeper into the couch and was sound asleep. 

*****

Ichigo woke up, his body was kinda of sore and his throat was dry. He sat up in his bed and lazily scratched the back of his head. He glanced out of the window to see it was pitch dark, indicating he woke up sometime in the middle of the night. Speaking of time Ichigo looked at the alarm clock on his night stand that showed it was 4.30 a.m. More then saying it was late it would be more correct to say it was too early. He let out a loud sigh and rubbed his eyes trying to clear his mind. He was feeling tired and very disoriented. How did he get home again? His last memory was feeling dizzy and blacking out in the middle of his fight against Grimmjow. He was bleeding excessively and everything was hurting like a bitch. He ran his fingers over his body checking the places that he remembered were slid open. They were completely healed now. He could feel Inoue's reiatsu. But he still couldn't make out how he managed to go to her and then go home. He struggled to fill the blank spaces in his memories. They were fighting. Both were hurt and Ichigo's vision started to blur at some point. He remembered they were pretty high in the sky. Did he fall? No way. If he had fallen from that high he'd be long dead. So then did he win and went to look for help? Or did he collapse and someone found him? Was it Sado? Ishida? Maybe Urahara? No. They were both hurt but Ichigo was sure he couldn't have won in his condition. He was no idiot. If someone had won that fight it was most definitely Grimmjow. But then why was he alive? Did someone come to his rescue? Or did Grimmjow loose interest in the fight and left? That seemed unlikely. Or was it? Did really Grimmjow not kill him even when he had the perfect opportunity? Ichigo had no way of knowing. He could only speculate. Whatever had happened he was planning on finding out ... right after he quenched his thirst with some cold water that is. He got up intending to head for the kitchen. 

Ichigo roamed around for a clean shirt to put on before opening his door as quietly as possible, trying not to wake up his sisters that were no doubt still sleeping in this inhuman hour, and slipped out of his room and started tiptoeing towards the kitchen. While dragging himself through the hallway his half asleep brain registered something. He felt a familiar reiatsu both in his room and now in the hallway. It was very familiar but Ichigo was too out of it to be able to recognize it. He was still feeling weak and tired and his head was pounding so hard he feared it might burst any moment. But despite the soreness all over his body and the killer headache Ichigo could still form a vague idea about the mysterious spiritual pressure around him. His mind was out of commission but his body remembered still. There were certain things he associated this reiatsu with. For starters he knew it belonged to someone who was incredibly strong and intimidating. Someone he knew and had special connection with. Someone with whom he had forged a strong bond that was neither friend, nor family. Someone that could make him happy and angry at the same time, make his blood either freez or boil in a matter of seconds. It was a reiatsu he knew and loved the feeling of. It was one that he waited for with anticipation because it always carried the promise of excitement and satisfaction ... the promise of a challenge ... of a fight ... of pain and blood? And then it suddenly hit him. This reiatsu belonged to no other than Grimmjow, the sexta espada from Aizen's army, an enemy that made it their lifes goal to kill him. And now he had been here in his room, in his house.

Ichigo's brain woke up in an instant and started working again. Grimmjow was in his bedroom and then all around the house? Why? Then the feelings of panick and dread overtook him ... his family ... Yuzu and Karin were alone because their stupid father was on a business trip, not that he would have been of much use but still. Ichigo started running in search of them, tripping over his feet and hitting the walls on the way. First he checked their room - empty. Cold sweat ran down his whole body. He headed downstairs running like a madman. 'No! No, no, no. God! Please! Let them be save! I beg of you! I can't lose them. Please!' Ichigo pleaded to whoever was listening. He didn't care if it was a god, some kind of entity or lady luck. It didn't matter as long as his family was save and sound. 

'This can't be it! It can't end like this! He swore on his mother's grave he would protect them. They were the reason he got involved with Soul Society in the first place. From then on he fought more and more to defeat those who posed a threat to them, their home and their town. He had trained like crazy to become stronger to make sure he would always prevail and be the one on top. And for what?! To fail in the end? Like he failed to protect his mother all those years ago? No! He couldn't go through loss again. Ichigo knew he would never recover from it. They were everything to him, his life, his reason to keep going. They had to be alright.' 

Those thoughts filled his mind and started eating at him. All the terrible possibilities everything could go wrong and result in the death of those he held dear flooded his head and drowned all rational thoughts. And against his better judgment he let them take over. 

His mind projected every fear he had ever had. Those irrational fears, product of his imagination, hunted his nightmares regularly. It was especially bad the first couple of years following his mother's death. And up to this day he could remember them all and in great details, unfortunately. He could remember clearly each and every nightmare that woke him up in the middle of the night screaming and crying, cold sweat covering his body and the uncontrollable shaking that he couldn't stop for awhile. The following days after such an 'episode' would instigate such fright in him that would prevent him from sleeping for days and would make him paranoid, depressed and detached from anyone. 

Inevitably his train of thoughts eventually made him reminisce the past. He remembered the day his mother died. The memory so fresh he could feel the pain in his chest and the burning in his eyes. He could still remember the smell and stickiness of blood and the heaviness of his mother's death and cold body atop of him. But the worst of all was the feeling of guilt. No matter what anyone said he knew to this day it was his fault. It was his actions that led to her untimely death. It was him who robbed his family of their sun. And for that he could never find peace. He could never forgive himself. He would wake up and go to sleep with that though for years. As time went by things became more bearable and after he became a shinigami his mind was full with so many other things that he simply had no time to wail in self pity anymore and for that he was grateful. Now that he thought about it it was since then he had stoped having those 'episodes' that had become a daily occurrence in his not-so-normal life. 

Ichigo recalled the day he became a shinigami and what the newly acquired powers provided him with - a chance to protect the once he held dear and finally be able to fulfill the promise he made too many times. Ichigo could clearly remember the said promise because it was one he had made to his mother again and again. It was one he made years ago when she was still alive and then again after her death and then once more after he became a shinigami. A promise he could never forget because his own name was a reminder of it. And a painful one at that. 

When Ichigo was a kid and was always getting bullied because of his hair color he wanted to get stronger in order to stand up to those bullies, to protect himself and most importantly to protect his mom. There was nothing he wanted more then to live up to the name she had chosen for him and make her proud. And he failed.

After her death he swore to protect his sisters in his mother's stead, to be like her and to show her that the sacrifice she made was not in vain. It was an oath he took on her grave and would remake without fail each and every time they visited. So far Ichigo was doing a good job but that was on the verge of changing if it wasn't for the help of Rukia that fateful night. And he swore he would never let danger come this close to his family ever again. 

Few days after his awakening as a soul ripper Ichigo had managed to slip away from Rukia's watchful eye and visit his mother's grave. He greeted her and told her about what had happened. He then proceeded to make the same promise to protect his family no matter the cost. He swore in her name and memory. He was determined to do it right this time. He would do it to prove to her and most importantly to himself she didn't die in vain. That protecting him was not a mistake. That her life was not wasted. And since this day onwards this was his driving force - to protect. 

Since then Ichigo had gone a long way and the circle of people he wanted to protect grew bigger and bigger. His will to keep them all save made him work harder and become stronger again and again. To protect. This he could do. No matter who the enemy was or how much stronger they were it didn't matter to him. He would fight and he would win. Because there was no other option. He refused to loose someone he loved again. He would find a way, he always did. But what if he was too late? Then what? There was nothing he could do. Revenge? That won't bring them back and after he accomplishes that then what? The grand fisher was defeated and he felt no less pain. It was the same. No! He couldn't afford to be too late. 

Ichigo felt like it took him an eternity to go through the hallway and down the stairs before reaching the first floor. He proceeded to make a sharp turn, ignoring the burning pain in his hip from when he grazed the commode in his way and when he finally entered into the livingroom he froze on the spot as if someone had just thrown a bucket of cold water in his face. 

Ichigo could not believe his eyes. Was he perhaps still dreaming? He rubbed his eyes and blinked a couple of times before looking up again. There in his own livingroom without a single care in the world was no other than the violent arrancar he had clashed swords with numerous times. Grimmjow was comfortably sleeping in the middle of the couch while Yuzu and Karin were snuggled on both his sides. Karin was tugging on the collar of his jacket and Yuzu had laid her head on his chest while clutching his sleeve. Grimmjow had both his hands wrapped around the girls in what seemed a protective embrace and probably in an effort to warm them up. The scene was so shocking that Ichigo could swear his brain short circuited for a couple of seconds before restarting and trying to assess the situation once more. Despite the initial shock Ichigo had to admit the scene was at the same time so breathtaking that for a moment he completely forgot that Grimmjow was a feline arrancar set to kill him and regardless of all of that knowledge he couldn't help but smile. Seeing the sexta in this light was new and quite unexpected but also very refreshing. Ichigo couldn't help but think the bluenette looked like a normal person like that. He seemd relaxed and almost happy. There was no trace of neither the angry frown nor the maniacal smile. He looked human ... well as long as one could ignore the jaw bone on his cheek and the gaping hole in his stomach that is.

"Now that's not something you see every day or at all for that matter." Ichigo commented quietly to no one in particular and mostly to himself. "If only he would act like that on a regular basis." He exhaled sounding a little regretful that that wasn't the case. "I didn't even suspect he had such a soft side to him. Guess he hates me too damn much to let it show in front of me." He sighed in obvious disappointment rubbing the back of his head unaware of the fact that he has had audience the entire time.

In the meantime contrary to the teen's assumptions Grimmjow was fully awake and feverishly analyzing the unfolding situation while of course pretending to be asleep. Was it just him or did Kurosaki sounded a little hurt and regretful? Was Grimmjow imagining it or was it wishful thinking on his part? It was obvious the redhead was disappointed that he wasn't the subject of the sexta's affection but could it really be that? It made Grimmjow utterly confused. Did Ichigo really just admitted that he wanted to be treated gently? To be hugged and be doted on? And by Grimmjow no less?! That was sounding like one hell of a confession. What was going on in that orange head of his?

Grimmjow's mind was trying to wrap around the odd behavior of the teen when he was jolted back to the present by the sound of the boy's footsteps echoing further and further away, going somewhere upstairs. Was he going to just leave them like that? His mortal emeny that tried to kill him numerous times and sworn to do so in the future with his precious little sisters? 'Oi oi, that's no joke, what kind of a protective big brother would do something so stupid?!' Even Grimmjow as laid back and unconcerned as he was, if he was in Ichigo's shoes wouldn't have allowed it and would have sliced the enemy on the spot, no questions asked. Then he heard the screeching of the stairs indicating Ichigo was coming back. 'Ah, yes, now that made perfect sense. The fucker just went up to change into his soul form.' It baffled him why he hadn't done so in the beginning but than again the kid was a little bit of an idiot so ... yeah.  
Grimmjow tensed up waiting for the impending impact. And after few nerve wracking seconds of waiting he was shocked to realize it never came.

The arrancar stood there, seemingly asleep and very much confused. What was going on here? He could clearly feel Ichigo standing right infront of him. One step away at most. And he was doing nothing but standing there unmoving. Grimmjow couldn't feel even the slightest raise in his reiatsu. Was the idiot hesitating to strike him? It was highly possible. Knowing what a dumbass Kurosaki was he wouldn't be surprised at all. The shinigami felt compassion towards his enemies and was always trying to save everyone that crossed his path. The kid was nothing short of naive. But then on the other hand this was not your typical situation either. Unlike most times now his precious sisters were involved. Grimmjow was sure Ichigo wouldn't want to splatter blood all over them and risk traumatizing the girls for life neither would he want to turn his warm loving home into a murderous crime scene. The arrancar doubted hollow blood would be the ideal ingredient for freshening up the place and adding more color to it. 

With that being said Grimmjow thought it was save to assume Ichigo was probably taking the time to precise his hit in order to be fast and finish him with a single strike. That sounded logical. He waited. Why? He didn't know. He had both the time and the skills to still make it out alive yet he had no desire to try because in order to do that he had to push the girls off of him and they might get hurt and that was something he didn't want. And why should he? All they did was show him warmth, gratitude, hospitality and above all - respect. They didn't treat him like a monster or pity him for what he was. They didn't ask him uncomfortable questions or insult him. They trusted him and treated him like family. And no matter how much of an asshole he was he still couldn't bring himself to do anything that might put them in danger. So he used his resolve to ground himself and prepared for the worst. 

After a couple of minutes Grimmjow felt a warm hand was being placed gently on his shoulder, careful not to wake him up. And then he could feel something closing in near his face. Yes, if Ichigo was as smart as Grimmjow thought he was, the kid wouldn't take any chances and would go straight for the head or throat. This would prove to be a fatal blow and as a bonus won't splash too much blood all over the place. He prepared himself mentally and physically for the incoming pain and eventual death. But then all of a sudden he felt breath on his cheek. Ichigo had lowered himself down to hold him in place maybe? Strange, but still possible. Grimmjow stood his ground and then he heard a sound, a strange one, near his ear. It was familiar but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. And then it suddenly clicked. It was a kiss. Ichigo was kissing his sisters and muttering a quiet 'sorry I missed dinner' to them.  
Grimmjow couldn't help but think it was TOO FUCKING ADORABLE. He was barely holding on this act of his. The gravity of the situation he was currently in was long forgotten and all he wanted to do was to crack a smile, make a witty comment and tug Ichigo into a hug. Who would have thought the orangette could be so darn cute. 

The exchange between the siblings was heartwarming but short and all too soon Grimmjow felt the hand on his shoulder disappearing along with the warmth it radiated. The arrancar felt genuine disappointment and instantly missed the contact wishing it could have lasted just a little bit longer.

Next Grimmjow heard a rustle and recognized it as the sound of unfolding blankets. So that's why Ichigo went back up. He was quite considerate and was currently in big brother mode. It was kind of new but also refreshing to see him act like that and Grimmjow amazingly didn't mind it at all. Ichigo proceeded to carefully and gently wrap the twins in the soft blankets. What happened next almost made the arrancar jump from shock. Was Ichigo in his right mind??? Did he sustain some sort of brain damage from their fight earlier?! Grimmjow couldn't believe Ichigo was putting a blanket over him too. Gently tugging it around his body making sure no warmth would be lost. Despite the shock Grimmjow's brain still had the decency to wonder if he would receive a kiss too. And when he didn't, which was totally expected, Grimmjow still felt disappointment.

After Ichigo was done he went to the kitchen and Grimmjow heard the sound of running water and a glass filling. When Ichigo quenched his thirst with THREE glasses of water he passed by them once more, stopped for a minute, and stood there without doing or saying anything and then went up the stairs and the soft click indicated that the door to his room was shut close. 

Grimmjow opened his eyes and looked around in disbelief. Yuzu was wrapped in a yellow blanket and Karin in a red one. Then his eyes darted down to his own, it was light blue the same color as his hair and eyes and ... it smelled like sunshine, it smelled like Ichigo. Grimmjow tugged the blanket closer to his nose and inhaled, letting the enthralling aroma fill his nostrils and make him lightheaded. He felt warmth forming in his chest and slowly spreading throughout his whole body. The warmth soon became intense heat that threatened to consume the last pieces of his sanity. Grimmjow could feel his inside burn with want but he tried his utmost to resist it. That feeling went south and he felt an instant reaction but decided to ignore it. He wasn't going to jack off with the two girls sound asleep on both his sides, for fuck's sake.

Eventually Grimmjow lets go off the blanket and closed his eyes. Thinking back on everything that happened that day Grimmjow was still finding it hard to believe it was real. It was new, different, strange, odd, unnatural and also scary. The simple fact that he enjoyed it all, both the company and the new experiences, terrified him. If anyone had ever told him he would find himself in such a predicament he would have laughed maniacally and then killed them mercilessly. But now he could only sit there on the comfortable sofa tugged in a soft blanket, stay still so as to not wake up the two girls curled up on him and try to make the heart he always believed he didn't have stop trying to beat out of his chest. Well at least with all that's happened the pending "problem" he had, seemed to be resolved. For some inexplicable reason he had developed feelings for the orange haired shinigami. This was a disaster. What was he going to do from now on? Confess? Ridiculous! Ignore it and keep having his usual fights with Kurosaki? Or maybe he should just disappear for good? He took a deep breath and shut his eyes. His brain was overloaded by trying to find a solution to his current situation but he was feeling way too tired both emotionally and physically to care.

Grimmjow got Ichigo's approval of sorts so he was planning to use this God given opportunity to the fullest and rest a while longer. Grimmjow exhaled a breath he didn't know he was holding in and let his body relax to a point he felt boneless and soon after he was claimed by a deep and dreamless sleep. The last thought that crossed his mind was that when he woke up nothing would be what it was. Change was happening whether he liked it or not and to his dismay he could do nothing to stop or prevent it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me tell you a story:
> 
> After ten faithful years of serving me, my loyal companion the hard drive decided to die on me. Yes folks that's exactly what happened and I quote the technician "it's life had ended" and of course I lost everything. Luckily I found someone who promised to retrieve all the information on it (if it wasn't lost already). And it took them one full month to do so. But thankfully 90% of my stuff had been saved. What was lost was three one shots on bleach and two on voltron. Sadly the 5th chapter of the current story was quite "damaged" but the 3th and 4th are fine. With that being said I'm back on tracks and ready to continue writing. Let's hope there won't be anyone 'surprises' in the near future.
> 
> P.S. As an apology I'm working hard to finish some one shots. I hope I manage with my exams coming up.

**Author's Note:**

> Don't forget to leave kudos if you liked it and are ready for the next chapter! (〃￣ω￣〃ゞ


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